Warriors seem to be stuck in some good habits

Updated 12:04 am, Thursday, April 28, 2016

A lot of us wise veteran observers of the NBA scene tried to warn the Warriors that there would be a price to pay for their gritty run at 73 wins in the regular season, and now the bill has come due.

They got their record, made their mark on history, but in the process, the Warriors forgot how to take a night off. They stripped all their gears except for overdrive.

The pressure under which the Warriors put themselves forced them into a mental state in which they believe that every game is precious, every opponent must be respected.

Seventy-three put steel in their spines.

Instead of playing down to the level of the Houston Rockets in Wednesday’s Game 5 at Oracle Arena, the Warriors played it like a Game 7. They ran, they shot, they defended. They played with passion and precision and blew the Rockets out of the playoffs, 114-81.

Where did the Warriors go wrong? How did they turn their backs on the NBA tradition of underachieving occasionally, especially with their superstar on the pine and a 3-1 series lead against a reeling opponent?

When Klay Thompson hit a three-pointer with 5:36 left in the third quarter to give the Warriors a 78-47 lead, the way he and his teammates celebrated, you would have thought Thompson just hit a buzzer-beater to win another NBA title.

Golden State Warriors Ian Clark goes up for a shot against Houston Rockets Trevor Ariza in the second quarter during Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Oakland, Calif.

Golden State Warriors Ian Clark goes up for a shot against Houston Rockets Trevor Ariza in the second quarter during Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Oakland, Calif.

Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle

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Houston Rockets Dwight Howard knocks over Golden State Warriors Andrew Bogut while watching a second quarter shot during Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Oakland, Calif. less

Houston Rockets Dwight Howard knocks over Golden State Warriors Andrew Bogut while watching a second quarter shot during Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Oakland, ... more

Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle

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Houston Rockets Dwight Howard and Golden State Warriors Andrew Bogut go up for the opening tip off during Game 5 in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Oakland, Calif.

Houston Rockets Dwight Howard and Golden State Warriors Andrew Bogut go up for the opening tip off during Game 5 in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Oakland, Calif.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

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Golden State Warriors Andrew Bogut and Houston Rockets Dwight Howard fight for position during the first quarter during Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Oakland, Calif.

Golden State Warriors Andrew Bogut and Houston Rockets Dwight Howard fight for position during the first quarter during Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Oakland, Calif.

Draymond Green (23) center, and Stephen Curry joke around on the bench as the Golden State Warriors played the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, April 27, 2016. The Warriors won 114-81, to advance to the second round. less

Draymond Green (23) center, and Stephen Curry joke around on the bench as the Golden State Warriors played the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs at Oracle Arena in ... more

Golden State Warriors Draymond Green reacts during the third quarter in Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Oakland, Calif.

Golden State Warriors Draymond Green reacts during the third quarter in Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Oakland, Calif.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

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Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson fights for a rebound against Houston Rockets Dwight Howard in Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Oakland, Calif.

Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson fights for a rebound against Houston Rockets Dwight Howard in Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Oakland, Calif.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

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Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green laughs with owner Peter Gruber before Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Oakland, Calif.

Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green laughs with owner Peter Gruber before Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Oakland, Calif.

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

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Warriors seem to be stuck in some good habits

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Fired up? Yes, the Warriors were geeked.

When it was all over, the Warriors hugged with the Rockets and walked calmly off the floor under confetti rain. Their business is just starting.

How did they lose their ability to phone one in? Blame it on the pride of the players and the relentless attention of their head coach, Steve Kerr. Kerr, remember, was not hot on the idea of his players climbing that 73-win Mount Everest, but he yielded to their relentless drive for excellence.

Kerr knew two things going into Game 5.

Three things, actually:

• Stephen Curry won’t be back soon, so the team no longer has the luxury of relying on Steph Time.

• Kerr didn’t have to remind his players to not let Curry down by acting wounded or befuddled. Their effort was a tribute to Curry.

• Kerr is still the coach and a coach needs to coach, even if he’s coaching a magnificent machine. The NBA term “trap game” must have hovered in a thought cloud over Kerr.

And so Kerr, before Wednesday morning’s shootaround, reminded his players to do what Curry urges “Dub Nation” to do before every game, via Twitter: Lock in.

Assistant coach Bruce Fraser said Kerr’s talk to the team Wednesday was “not, ‘We lost Steph and we have to go out (and win for him).’ Players already have that, you saw that the other night” in Game 4 in Houston. “He doesn’t need to repeat or pull from that. He understands they (already) have that in ’em.”

“No, no,” Fraser said. “Some days, it is Knute Rockne, some days, it is very inspirational, there’s a message to it. I think today’s message was more firm and strategic, not as motivational.

“Not all your (day-of-game) shootaround days are messages. Some days are business-as-usual. This is a message day, for our team, that this is a day of focus and execution.”

When the Warriors are focusing and executing, they are five players in constant movement on offense and five players in sync on defense. They had that from the tip Wednesday.

The few times the Warriors have played without Curry this season haven’t all been pretty. They got clobbered by Dallas. They lost to Houston in Game 3 of this series. By one point, but still.

The Rockets are as dysfunctional as a playoff team can be, but they’re like the dogged door-to-door salesman. Can’t let him get his foot in the door.

Lose Game 5 and the Warriors would be embarrassed, and vulnerable. They’d be flying back to Houston, where so many bad things happen, where a Rockets win would put the Warriors one step from ghastly, season-ending disaster.

Instead, the Warriors are locked in and moving on. Emotion and focus.

That’s four wins down and a daunting 12 to go. There are huge challenges ahead. There will be times when it will be hard not to back off a bit, to let the focus drift a bit and the effort sag. But the Warriors seem to have forgotten how.